Arthur Fleck
Arthur Fleck is a terrorist based in Gotham City and is the arch-enemy of the vigilante superhero Batman. History Early Life Arthur was born to Penny Fleck, a mentally unstable Wayne Enterprises employee who was sent to Arkham Asylum after watching her boyfriend abuse both herself and Arthur. Arthur seemingly suppressed these memories for most of his life. At some point, Arthur got a job as a street clown, though the other clowns working there found him off-putting and disturbing. Arthur would also live with his mother far longer than most due to him having to take care of her. Arthur is also diagnosed with a rare laughing condition and spends a short amount of time in a psych ward where he meets his therapist. First Murders Some years later, Arthur becomes an aspiring comedian while working as a clown in a Gotham that was rife with crime. Some younger would-be criminals jumped Arthur and ripped apart a sign he was holding, causing Arthur's co-worker, Randall, to give him a revolver for self-defense. Due to the loss of the sign, Arthur's employer assumes he stole it and he is given a warning. Meanwhile, Arthur meets a tenant of his apartment, Sophie, who he takes a liking to. Arthur follows Sophie throughout her day and she confronts him about it, though the two end on good terms due to Arthur making her laugh. He invites her to attend his first stand-up show. Wanting to make-up for losing the sign, Arthur decides to go to a children's hospital to entertain the sick kids by singing "If You're Happy And You Know It". However, Arthur also takes the revolver Randall gave him and accidentally drops it in front of the children, getting himself in trouble once again. Arthur claims it was a prop gun but his employer doesn't believe him due to Randall lying that Arthur bought the gun off him and Arthur is fired, riding home on a train where he sees three men harassing a woman. This triggers Arthur's condition, allowing the woman an escape but causing them to turn their attention to Arthur. They begin mocking Arthur, causing his condition to flare up and irritating the men to the point they begin beating Arthur. Finally, Arthur snaps and shoots two of the men in self-defense, instantly killing them, before chasing the final one and repeatedly shooting him in the back. After this, Arthur visits Sophie's home and kisses her. The Clown Vigilante The next morning, Arthur's mother, who has an obsession with Thomas Wayne, watches a news report about three Wayne Enterprises employees (the men Arthur killed) where they interview Thomas. In an incredibly controversial statement, Thomas chalks up the murders to jealousy against the more fortunate and calls everyone who thinks this way clowns, sparking protests against him by people in clown masks. A slightly maddened Arthur visits his therapist and informs her that he finally thinks people are paying attention to him before insulting her, claiming she never listens to what he says. His therapist goes on to reveal that the city has cut funding to the clinic and she can no longer give Arthur his medication by herself. This knowledge combined with his stage fright causes Arthur to bomb at his stand-up show. His condition flares up and the people watching become off-put by his laughing. To top off the terrible past few days of Arthur's life, Arthur discovers that his mother has written a letter to Thomas Wayne claiming that Arthur is his son. Arthur gets into an argument with his mother before leaving to visit Wayne Manor and encountering his supposed half-brother Bruce. After becoming abnormally disturbing towards Bruce, Arthur is chased away by Alfred Pennyworth, who he attempts to attack but leaves after seeing Bruce watching. Arthur then returns home only to discover his mother had suffered a stroke. Outside of the hospital, Arthur is visited by two police officers who had already interrogated his mother (seemingly causing her stroke) and is questioned on his involvement in the train murders due to his wielding of a gun. Arthur once again lies that the gun was a prop and also claims that he was fired from his job because his employers didn't think he was funny enough. While he and Sophie visit his mother in the hospital, Arthur watches TV and sees his idol, Murray Franklin, insult Arthur's stand-up, calling him a joker. Becoming Joker During one of the meet-ups of the clown protestors, Arthur sneaks by them and disguises himself as a film clerk in order to confront Thomas Wayne, who he meets in the bathrooms. Arthur demands to know if Thomas is his father and Thomas claims that Arthur was adopted before revealing that Penny had spent time in Arkham due to being mentally unstable. Arthur's condition flares up once again and Thomas punches him due to this before leaving. Not wanting to believe this, Arthur visits Arkham and, after not being allowed to look at his mother's file, Arthur steals it and runs away, discovering the truth that his mother allowed her boyfriend to abuse them both. In the file, it's mentioned Penny claims that Thomas used his influence to cover up their affair. Now believing his mother was insane and knowing she allowed Arthur to be abused, Arthur visits her in the hospital, proclaiming that his life is a comedy and suffocating her. After this, he enters Sophie's apartment but realizes that all the times they were together were delusions and the two were never together. The next morning, Arthur is invited on to Murray's show due to the popularity of his clip and he agrees, planning on shooting himself on live TV. Arthur dyes his hair green and starts wearing make-up to mimic the Joker protestors. While doing so, Randall and his other former co-worker Gary visit him to comfort him after his mother's death. Arthur confesses he isn't sad about his mother's death and has actually become happier after she died. He also confesses that he is no longer taking his medication before stabbing Randall and bashing his head in. Arthur allows Gary to leave however, thanking him for being the only one to ever treat him nice before leaving for his meeting with Murray. While walking to the meeting, Arthur is chased by police for unknown reasons and runs on to a train full of clown protestors where one detective shoots a protestor and both police are beaten for it, allowing Arthur to escape. Arthur has a pre-show meeting with Murray where he asks Murray to call him Joker as he walks on stage. Murray agrees. Arthur comes out and begins telling dark jokes that Murray disapproves of before admitting to the train murders. Arthur then proceeds to give a speech about how society abandons the lower class and less fortunate before telling a final joke, ending with him deciding to shoot Murray instead of taking his own life. Arthur's speech causes the protestors to riot as he is arrested, with Arthur admitting he is proud of what he's done. Arthur's riot leads to the death of Thomas and his wife Martha at the hands of a masked man. Arthur is also freed by the rioters, who cheer for him as he smears his own blood on his face to form a smile. Sometime after the riots, Arthur is arrested once again and deemed criminally insane, being sent to Arkham where he laughs to himself about a joke. He then proceeds to murder his new therapist and walk out of the building. Powers and Abilities Powers *'Unique Physiology: '''Arthur's constant exposure to chemicals has mutated his bodily functions. **'Pain Resistance: Arthur can take a lot more pain than normal people. The most impressive example of this is his ability to seemingly survive explosions and having parts of his skin burst open. **'''Toxic Immunity: Arthur is immune to his own chemical compounds and has built up a slight immunity to poison. *'Cheating Death:' Arthur has faked his death, seemingly died, and walked away from things that should've killed him multiple times. Abilities *'Indomitable Will:' Arthur is able to resist mind control and manipulation. This isn't due to him having a strong will, ironically. Rather, it is due to the fact his mind is so broken it is hard to do any more damage to it. *'Genius-Level Intelligence: '''Arthur is self-taught but his self-teaching has worked incredibly well. According to his Arkham record, he is a certified genius and has even managed to outsmart Batman. **'Chemistry Expert: Over the years, Arthur has perfected his chemical engineering ability, allowing him to create a compound he refers to as his "Joker Venom". **'''Master Gadgetry: Arthur has invented and carries around many novelty weapons that are shaped like children's toys. **'Expert Strategist and Tactician:' Despite his mediocre fighting abilities, Arthur has managed to come out on top during fights thanks to his ability to read the land. *'Hand-to-Hand Combat (Basic): '''When compared to others, Arthur isn't particularly skilled when it comes to combat. Due to this, he prefers to either outthink his enemies or brutalize them in not very thought out attacks, usually bludgeoning their skulls. **'Expert Marksman:' Despite his lack of fighting capabilities, Arthur has demonstrated on multiple occasions he is incredible when it comes to *'Intimidation:' Arthur has managed to scare even the strongest of willed people including Commissioner Gordon, Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne. Paraphernalia Equipment *'Joker Venom: A poison of Arthur's design. It is made up of multiple dangerous chemicals mixed together. The specific chemical compound causes the person to have vocal spasms that sound like laughter as they die, ending with their face morphing into a smile. The venom takes the form of both a gas and a liquid. Weapons *'''Joker Gadgets: Weapons created by Arthur. They resemble children's playing toys including racecars and dolls. He also carries a flower that is able to squirt acid/Joker Venom and metal throwing stars shaped like playing cards. *'Revolver:' Arthur's most used weapon. It is a simple six bullet revolver that was given to him by a former friend of his. He used the revolver to commit his first murders. *'Joy-Buzzer:' A modified joy-buzzer of Arthur's creation. It emits incredibly powerful electrical currents if someone pushes the button by shaking his hand it will electrocute the person. *'Explosives: '''Over the years, Arthur has learned to create and operate many types of bombs and has even shown to be able to work with nukes. Weaknesses *'Mental Illness:' Arthur suffers from multiple mental disorders that are all clashing together in his mind. He stopped taking his pills for them many years ago and his exposure to multiple dangerous chemicals over the years hasn't helped. *'Laughing-Fit Condition: '''Arthur has a condition that causes him to laugh at unfortunate times. Usually, the fits are the opposite of how he actually feels. Trivia *Very few people are aware that Arthur is Joker as Arthur murdered most of the people that were aware he and Joker were the same person. * Category:Males Category:Villains Category:Humans